Threading method of a metallic bottle

ABSTRACT

An improved technique of threading for metallic bottles where as the neck of the metallic bottles will receive a protrusion or profile, onto which an independently made threaded collar is shot. And fastened by seaming (this discards the slow process of seaming each unit individually), the seam is then bent/curled inwards forming a neat drinking orifice; the ROPP cap, screw cap, crown cap or pull cap etc. is fitted on and after filling, a profiled, concave dome end shell is added to the bottom of the aluminium or metallic bottle and sealed by seaming.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for threading a metallic pipe such as an aluminum alloy cylindrical pipe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to beverage cans or bottles for various soft drinks or beers and other fluids that could require reclosing or resealing possibilities. From ongoing research and development on threading methods that first occurred in our patent application No P 01-157, date: Aug. 11, 2001: where it describes a closure for a beverage container with inside/outside threading, and patent application No P 02-105, date: Jul. 6, 2002: where it describes separate threading method and making of a conical bullet-shaped closure. All this is now developed into separate threaded collar-making for metallic containers or bottles. According to the afore-mentioned inside and outside threading of the closure for the connectable beverage container, it is important that the method described below is unveiling the possibilities of welding, flanging or seaming a separate threaded collar onto a chimney or neck of a metallic bottle. Thus creating a fully recyclable product. Aluminium or metallic collars can be made in different size or diameter or threads as well as a variety of products enhancements such as embossing, shaving, brushing or a logo or seal imprint. The welding or flanging and seaming gives the collar once attached to the chimney enough strength to withstand 100 psi or seven bar internal pressure.

SUMMARY

[0003] The present invention introduces a method that threads a metallic pipe such as an aluminium alloy cylindrical pipe. This method is especially designed to enhance the threading process for aluminium alloy or other metallic bottles, however the invention is not limited to the metal bottles as applications to plastic bottles/containers are like-wise foreseen; the invention illustrates that by forming threaded collars, independently from the bottle making process, costs and time can be effectively saved. These aluminium alloy pipes or metallic pipes are fed into a threading machine that fabricates threaded collars which are then cut at even intervals and fed into a collar fitting machine (i.e., CFM) that shoots the threaded collars at high speed around or into the metallic bottle neck. The next stage is to flange and seam the collar to the top of the bottle; a following step is curling the neck inwards to create a thick round orifice. More particularly, the present invention circumvents the most complex and time-consuming part of the metallic bottle making process. It explains how a metallic pipe, that undergoes threading procedure at a high speed-threading machine. This is an independent, continuous process that occurs off line.

[0004] By eliminating the time consuming and complex process of conventional threading, the present invention evades numerous drawn and ironing steps that will automatically increase the speed of bottle making. It is expanding threading application to a wide variety of metallic bottle-shapes, which could bear different neck diameters. Bottle producers are no longer limited to one possibility of bottle forming which is dictated by the delicate threading procedure; it will be possible to design various neck shapes, sizes and make many “concept” bottles a practical reality. It will like-wise be possible to quickly change the diameter, profile, length, color, and material or shape of threaded collars. The present invention also relates to a method of fabricating plastic threaded collars, and as the metallic collars, plastic collars come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. The plastic threaded collar is a shrink fit collar (i.e., by applying heat the collar it will shrink around the designed profile of the metallic or glass bottle neck) that has a ready made orifice. The plastic collars can be applied to metallic, glass or plastic bottles in different size or diameter.

[0005] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a partially sectional side elevation showing two examples of a bottle neck on which one of the bottles is trimmed and has a ring-like protrusion or profile.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a view showing the threading of the pipe.

[0008]FIG. 3 shows the collar-fitting process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

[0010] I. The circumference of the aluminium bottle's neck is then embossed with a ring-like protrusion or indent profile. Making room for the threading system. Since this is normally an expensive, time-consuming process, this invention relates to the making of separate threaded rings or collars. A thin aluminium alloy or metallic pipe is fed into a threading machine that threads the pipe at given distances. The pipe is then cut at even intervals into “collars” that are fed into the collar fitting machine (CFM) that shoots the collars onto the bottle necks at high speed. A circumventing profile or protrusion below the upper-most rim of the neck of aluminium or metallic bottle, which has the function of supporting the threaded collar that will be pressed into it during seaming. The neck is then seamed and curled inwards trapping the collars and giving much-needed thickness to the drinking orifice. Not only threaded collars can be fabricated, but collars which would fit ROPP caps, pull caps or crown caps have been envisaged as well. These independently fabricated collars are attached to the aluminium or metallic bottle as described above. This procedure will enhance the production speed.

[0011] II. The fourth stage is capping and filling: the bottle is capped and then transported to the filling station where it will be filled from the bottom, this will aid filling as carbonated fluids are effervescent and hard to shoot into a small opening.

[0012] III. Once the bottles have been filled, their bottoms are fitted with dome-shaped end shells, which are characterised by having supporting profiles that increase the pressure resistance of the concave shape, thereby cutting down on material and physical weight of the aluminium bottle. With the domes in place, the bottom circumferences of the bottles are seamed and light/sound-inspected.

[0013] The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention, so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. Having shown and described the exemplary embodiments those skilled in the art will realise that many variations and modifications may be made to affect the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention.

[0014] The following are examples of the scopes of protection sought in this application, but are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in this application. This list of items is part of the description of the invention, and are not to be considered claims.

[0015] 1. The aluminium bottle comprises that the top of the neck is drawn into a cylindrical diameter that receives a little below the upper-most rim of the bottle neck a embossed ring-like protrusion, profile or indent designed to hold/fix in place a threaded collar that will be shot on at a later stage, after this the top of the neck is trimmed (See FIG. 1) that leaves a neck of required size.

[0016] 2. A metallic pipe such as an aluminium alloy or a surface threaded steel pipe characterised by: a step of forming a thread to the metallic pipe by feeding it into a threading machine that threads and cuts in segments of given length foreseeing that the trimming of the threaded parts of the metallic pipe occurs at even intervals creating collars of required length and exact measures and diameters to fit exactly onto the necks of predestined bottles.

[0017] 3. As in number 2 a threading machine that besides threading the metallic pipe also contains a feature that creates one or more vent lines or indents (see FIG. 2) crossing the spiral thread necessary for closures that are fitted onto containers that are containing carbonated liquids or fluids under pressure in order as to vent excess pressure.

[0018] 4. As in afore-mentioned items the threading machine that gives threading to the aluminium or any other metal pipe is not limited to one specific thread but exemplify that by changing its beak it can thread different sizes and profile depths onto the aluminium or any other metal pipe required for different types of liquid or fluids and bottle shapes that the collars will be applied for.

[0019] 5. Comprises that the threading machine that gives threading to the aluminium or any other metal pipe is not limited to thread aluminium or any other metal pipes of one specific wall thickness or diameter that exemplify the specific requirements for some types of liquids or fluids or to different bottle needs and/or shapes.

[0020] 6. As in afore-mentioned items the fabricated collars are fed into a collar fitting machine (CFM) similar to a capping machine the collars which are then lined up and shot on to the bottle neck and are held in place by seaming and the ring-like protrusion/indent as indicated in number 1 (See FIG. 3) this collar fitting process can be done at high speed.

[0021] 7. The method comprises of a threading method on a horizontal lying strip of aluminium or other metal of required width and thickness that passes under a continuously threading wheel which is then cut at calculated intervals and curled into collars that are then shot onto the bottles this method automatically provides one or more vent lines into the thread.

[0022] 8. As in afore-mentioned items the making of threaded collars out of aluminium or any other metallic alloy can be used for standard aluminium and tin cans to circumvent these similar to the process of threading aluminium bottles with separate threaded collars creating then a re-closable beverage can.

[0023] 9. Threading aluminium or any metallic bottle container comprises that any neck shape with a different diameter or shape can be threaded with separate pre-fabricated-formed plastic collars these are shrink-to-fit collars.

[0024] 10. As in afore-mentioned items separate pre-fabricated collars which are composed of metal alloy or plastic polymers encompass a wide variety of size, shape, colour and applications to allow these pre-fabricated threaded collars to facilitate a wide variety of bottle shapes, necks and diameter sizes.

[0025] 11. As in afore-mentioned items the method of separately fabricated threaded collar-making process is not limited to circumventing the bottle necks, but can be applied as well to the internal diameter of a bottle neck, the threaded collar is now threaded on the inner side of its diameter in which case, the direction of the thread is reversed, to face the centre of the opening, this way it forms a smooth fit to the inner diameter of the bottle neck.

[0026] Further embodiments of the present invention are disclosed as follows:

[0027] BALU Collar laser Seam Process:

[0028] The Laser seaming process can be used to seam/weld the separate prefabricated threaded collar onto the neck of the bottle, can or other container, it introduces a new, non-contact seaming technology for the aluminum bottle industry that allows for the reduction of material content in the current double seam joint or double flange technique, while maintaining hermetic seal quality. There are various companies offering such laser technique, which producers/manufactures can take advantage of and implement in their bottle-making process.

[0029] The following are examples of the scopes of protection sought in this application, but are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in this application. This list of items is part of the description of the invention, and are not to be considered claims.

[0030] 1. A metallic pipe such as an aluminum alloy is threaded in a threading machine, the threaded collar is cut in even intervals.

[0031] 2. The metallic collar resulting from item I is then bent inward or outward at the drinking end to enlarge the area of the drinking orifice producing the final shape for the collar.

[0032] 3. The ready-made collar which is the end product of item 2 is placed into the collar-placing machine that shoots the pre-fabricated collars at high speed onto the necks of the bottles where it is locked in place by protrusions or profiles in the bottle and on the appropriate side of the collar.

[0033] 4. Once the ultimate position of the collar has been established through the process outlined in item 3, the collar may be fused with the neck of the bottle through laser-welding/seaming or by “molecular gluing”, these processes omit the double-seam demanded by the mechanical process and thereby result in large savings of material as it fuses one surface directly with the other.

[0034] 5. If the manufacturer opts for standard mechanical double seaming, then the collars resulting from completing item 1 should not be finalized and bent as out outlined in item 2, they must be first fitted onto the neck of the bottle and then double-seamed as usual.

[0035] Sales points, advantages

[0036] The high-speed laser-welding allows the bottle maker to be more creative with the neck or chimney part of a particular bottle since no strong physical forces are applied during laser seaming we can stretch the neck more and emboss it with various shapes without raising concern about the rough, forceful seaming.

[0037] Cost Savings

[0038] Reduced Material Content per Seam

[0039] Minimized Capital Expenditures to Implement

[0040] Quality

[0041] Real Time Quality Control Monitoring Capability (the laser can seal and scan simultaneously!)

[0042] Quality Hermetic Seal Integrity

[0043] Reduced Rejects

[0044] Meets or Exceeds Existing Standards

[0045] Patent Protection

[0046] Patent Protected Intellectual Property

[0047] Patent Covers Product, Process & Apparatus

[0048] Global Control of Technology & Process

[0049] Material Savings Model

[0050] The patented new process reduces material content in a 12 ounce aluminum 2-part container by 0.9 gram per assembly. This represents a material reduction greater than 6%. In the North American Market, the aluminum material savings would be in excess of 247 Million pounds annually.

[0051] Process Advantages

[0052] Process

[0053] Adaptable to Existing Process

[0054] Usable with Ferrous/Non-Ferrous Materials

[0055] Manufacturing Flexibility for all Container Shapes and Sizes

[0056] While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An aluminum bottle comprising that the top of the neck is drawn into a cylindrical diameter that receives a little below the upper-most rim of the bottle neck an embossed ring-like protrusion, profile or indent designed to hold/fix in place a threaded collar that will be shot on at a later stage, after this the top of the neck is trimmed (See FIG. 1) that leaves a neck of required size. 